TOKYO (Reuters) - A diplomatic furore over Japan's wartime brothels looked unlikely to fade after Tokyo said on Friday a 14-year-old study had found no evidence the government or military officials had kidnapped women to act as prostitutes.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's latest statement -- which was issued in response to an opposition lawmaker's query and which also reiterated that Japan stood by a 1993 apology -- came as the U.S. ambassador to Japan said he believed the women were forced to act as sex slaves for Japanese soldiers during World War Two.

"I take the word of the women that testified," U.S. envoy Thomas Schieffer told a group of journalists. Three former sex slaves testified to U.S. Congress last month.

"I think that they were coerced to engage in prostitution ... That means they were raped by Japanese military at that point in time," he added. "I think that happened and I think it was a regrettable, terrible thing that it happened.

"I think the events speak for themselves."

Abe sparked outrage overseas when he said early this month there was no evidence that Japan's government or army had forcibly brought the women, mostly Asian and many of them Korean, to serve Japanese soldiers in the brothels.

He has since sought to dampen the furore, which threatened to cloud summits with Chinese and U.S. leaders, by repeating that the 1993 apology stood and expressing sympathy for the suffering of the "comfort women," as they are known in Japan.

Abe is to visit Washington in late April after a summit with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in Tokyo earlier the same month.

Schieffer welcomed Abe's backing for the apology and advised Japan to stick to that stance.

"I think there is a sensitivity in the United States on this particular issue, and I think the Japanese needed to be aware of that and I think they are," he said.

'NO DIRECT EVIDENCE'

U.S. Congressman Michael Honda has introduced a resolution seeking an unambiguous apology for the suffering of the sex slaves at the hands of the Japanese army, although the resolution is unlikely to be voted on until after Abe's U.S. visit.

"I think the prime minister is going to have a very good visit in the United States and I would hope this sort of thing would not detract from it," Schieffer said.

Abe's original remarks have already sparked an irate reaction from South Korea and more restrained comments from China, and Friday's statement could stir up more anger abroad.

Echoing remarks by officials after the 1993 study was completed, Abe's written statement on Friday said there had been no direct reference in documents found during the research that either government or military officials had forcibly hauled the women to the brothels.

Abe last week rejected a demand by a group of ruling party lawmakers for the government to conduct a new probe on the topic, but said the government would cooperate with a study by the party.

The head of the group -- which denies victims' accounts of being forced by Japanese soldiers to work in the brothels -- said on Thursday that they would forge ahead with the research.

Abe, 52, hails from the most conservative wing of his Liberal Democratic Party, and with his ratings sagging, analysts had said his original remarks were an attempt to woo his conservative base ahead of a July upper house election.

Matt Foreman(R), Executive Director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, and Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum(2ndR) block traffic with a banner moments before they were arrested in the middle of Broadway in Times Square during a protest expressing outrage at US General Peter Pace's comments on homosexuality by ACT UP (AIDS Coaltion to Unleash Power) in New York.(AFP/Timothy A Clary)

Rabbi arrested at New York demo over gays in the military
Thu Mar 15, 2:38 PM ET
AFP

Two leading US gay rights activists, one of them a rabbi, were arrested in New York Thursday at a demonstration to express outrage over a top US general's comments that homosexuality was immoral.

Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum and National Gay and Lesbian Taskforce chief Matt Foreman were detained after sitting down in the road to block traffic passing a military recruiting station in the bustling Times Square intersection.

The ad hoc group of around 50 demonstrators were protesting comments made by the US military's top officer, General Peter Pace, who said in an interview published Tuesday that homosexual acts were immoral.

Shouting "Pace is immoral, gays are fabulous" and "military bigots have got to go," protesters, some wearing t-shirts saying "Queer Guerilla" and waving placards calling for Pace to quit, wrapped themselves in a giant rainbow flag.

Former New Jersey governor and gay activist Jim McGreevey condemned the US military's official policy on gays in the military, known as "don't ask, don't tell," saying it treated homosexuals as second class citizens.

"The whole 'don't ask, don't tell' policy is wrong in so many ways. It asks people not to be honest and open about their sexuality," he said.

"Homophobia is the last accepted prejudice in America. We battled racism and sexism and yet homophobia is unfortunately still tolerated... we need to change that," he told reporters.

"I think the joint chiefs of staff need to understand that being gay is part of who and what we are," he added.

Another protester, Ann Northrop, said the gay community was furious about Pace's comments.

"We will not stand by while we're being insulted by the leaders of our country or anyone else," she said.